Apologies Ahead of Time (Tires)

[JINKATIN]

I'll apologize ahead of time for the dumb questions I am about to ask. I'm Sorry
I need new tires on my 86 narrow body which has 15" wheels. I currently have 215/60/15 rear and 205/60/15 front.
My question is would 225/50/15 rear 215/16/15 front fit? or would 225/50/15 all four fit? or what would be the best combo for 15s?
Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

[L8Brakr]

I don't have any experience with 15-inch wheels, so I can't give you any yes/no fitment questions. Hopefully some initial information will help more than confuse.

You did not provide your existing wheel widths. This will impact your decision. For example, 225's are too large for a proper fitment on 6-inch wheels. You'll need a 7-inch minimum, and 8's fit the tire even better. The offsets of your existing wheels will also affect what will/won't fit, as will any past tweaking (think slightly bent parts from 25 years of potholes, curbs,etc. Could also apply to prior damage repairs that were a little "off" from factory spec) of your suspension if a desired size is close.

Check your existing tires for clearance (measure what you can) at both ends of steering lock as well as around suspension points, struts, etc. and then plug your potential choices into a good tire calculator for comparison with what you have now. Here is one you can link to with easy to understand results:

Tire Size Calculator - Compare Tire Sizes <( ' -' )>

With 15-inch wheels I think the best advise is to stick with factory sizes, unless you're planning on spending some time on the track. Good Luck!

[Joe Bob]

Same discussion here.....

Stuck for Tires

[JINKATIN]

Thanks guys, I will pull the wheel out and see what size I currently have and go from there. I really do appreciate the info.

[JINKATIN]

Okay, I pulled them out and Front are 15X7 and Rear are 15X8. What is the best and widest combo I can put on them?


Thanks

[JINKATIN]

What do you guys think of 225/50/15 on all fours?

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by JINKATIN

What do you guys think of 225/50/15 on all fours?

I ran those on 7&8s and really liked them. Might have to do a slight roll on the front fenders, but my 81 SC was lowered and just cleared them.

[JINKATIN]

225/50/15, it is then. Thanks Daniel

[OttawaDave]

I just replaced the tires on my 15" fuchs last year - also 7 and 8"...

I went with 205/55 in front and 225/50 out back. That matches the diameter of the front and rear wheels, though it's shorter than stock, so there is a speedometer error (smaller diameter = more revolutions per mile, therefore speedometer overestimates speed). In my case, going from the stock 195/65 and 215/60 resulted in about 8-10kph error on my speedometer (5-6 mph).

Some think that the 50 profile is too short to look right on these cars, but I don't find that the tires look out of place. There are a ton of pics comparing all manner of size combinations, but here are two to get you started....I find the 225's fit really nicely in the rear.

Oh, and I went with Toyo Proxes T1R...not a ton of options in 15" performance tires, but I'm quite happy with this set.

[JINKATIN]

Nice car Dave, Toyo was what I was thinking.

Thanks bro

[Joe Bob]

245 rear, 225 up front....

[JINKATIN]

Joe bob, 245/45 or 245/50, what brand?

[Joe Bob]

Phhhlbbbtttt, anything you can find.....not a lot out there. Prolly 55 up front and 50 rear.

[JINKATIN]

Lol, that's funny, I'll see what I can find.

Thanks bro

[JINKATIN]

Lol, that's funny, I'll see what I can find.

Thanks bro

[sobamaflyer]

FWIW (and I've got 7&8x16's) I have 205/50 on the front and 225/50 on the back. I just swapped out the rears from 225/45's and I like them a lot better. The 45's always looked too small, I had droopy butt, now there is a slight rake (my car is about 1" lower than euro) and highway cruising has dropped down a couple hundred rpms.

I don't see the point of putting the same size tires on these cars, moreso if you have different sized wheels. You aren't going to want to put the 8's up front so rotating is out, and you will need to be careful w/ tire pressures so as not to create a spooky handler.

Just my $0.02

Travis

[sobamaflyer]

Not the best example but all that was handy:

After:




Before:



Sorry, dern picasa links are tricky

[JINKATIN]

Sobamaflyer nice car. Yeah I think i'm going with the 50s. Here is how my car looks with (F)205/60/15 (R) 215/60/15. I think I have to lower the car, there is a huge gap between fender and wheel.

[JINKATIN]

Sorry about the terrible pictures, I used my Iphone. Next time I'll use a regular camera.

[sobamaflyer]

Thank you I think most would agree w/ you about needing to drop it a bit, that gap will be even bigger w/ the 50 series tires.

Are you wearing the outside of your rear tires? Might just be the pics (or maybe you haven't driven it since jacking it up?) but looks like you have some positive camber in the back?